Managing hindering self-focused attention in counseling sessions.

Objective: This study examined the moderation effects of management strategies on the association between hindering self-focused attention and counseling self-efficacy.

Method: Participants were 160 counselor trainees. A hierarchical regression was used to analyze the data, and a simple effect analysis was used to explore the nature of the interaction.

Results: Results indicated that, for trainees who used more basic counseling techniques, counseling self-efficacy remained the same no matter their hindering self-focused attention experiences. However, for those who used less basic counseling techniques, their counseling self-efficacy dropped when they had more experiences of hindering self-focused attention. Similarly, for trainees who used more self-awareness to understand clients, these trainees reported a similar level of counseling self-efficacy no matter their hindering self-focused attention experiences. Conversely, for those who used less self-awareness as a tool to understand their clients during their sessions, their counseling self-efficacy decreased when they had more experiences of hindering self-focused attention.

Conclusion: This is the first study that extends the literature on direct, linear relationships between hindering self-focused attention and counseling self-efficacy. Results suggested two strategies (i.e., use of basic counseling techniques and use of self-awareness to understand clients) significantly moderate the above association.